MHNEB 11

Book 1: Now we don’t hear the loom shuttle; we only hear our daughter sighing

冷酷木兰

Chapter 11: A Cold Mulan

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Translated by Pierrot

Edited by Granny

After all that hot mess, er, all that buzzing of activity, Fang-shi and Hua MuTuo sent away the villagers who were kind and eager to help and politely declined their offer to keep watch.

Damn! With so many tall and hunky men camping here, who would be audacious enough to trouble them?

Do they have nothing better to do?

“What do we do? Do we still boil water for them to wash their feet?” Hua Mutuo had never felt so tired in his life as he did today.

Even his sister didn’t bring back that many people when she first came back from the military.

“Sure, let’s boil the water because it’s not like we have anything better to do with our time.” Fang-shi was also tired after today ordeal, and even though her mother-in-law was taking care of her daughter, Fang-shi was still quite upset with these people.

“But we don’t have that many pans at home!” Mutuo said quietly.

“You’re being silly, it’s not like we need to treat them like they’re your father!” Fang-shi glared at him. “Get a big pan, boil the water, and tell them to wash together!” 　　

“That… that’s probably not proper…”

“If you think it’s inappropriate then don’t expect my help!”

In the courtyard outside the Hua family’s second house.

“How come I’m missing a few wooden stakes? Who used my stakes?” Li family’s eighth son from Longxi was setting up his tent when he noticed that the slave who put the equipment here left out a few stakes.

Even though they all came together, everyone’s betrothal gifts and luggage were packaged separately. Everyone all had their equipment except for him.   　　

Li family’s eighth son looked around. For safekeeping, the betrothal gifts had already been moved to Mulan’s storage house. Other than the wagon that carried miscellaneous military equipment and the tents, he hadn’t seen anywhere else that had wooden stakes.

The wooden stakes probably fell off the wagon because it was too shaky on the road.

“You lowly slave, you can’t even do something so simple properly!”

With his temper and anger suddenly rising, he raised his wooden stake high over his head and smacked at the slave who was responsible for his wagon.

Bang!

A cane suddenly reached in and blocked Li family’s eighth son’s stake.

It’s Mulan’s father.

When Hua Gu was still in the army back in his days, there weren’t that many labour slaves who did all the paraphernalia or miscellaneous work. The previous generations of khans hadn’t conquered so land lands, and therefore had neither the opportunity nor the luxury to acquire so many strong and able-bodied Hu slaves.

Therefore, with his own hands, he always made his own tent and rolled out his own carpet.

This generation’s khan already conquered the north, and changed his title from khan to “Heavenly Son" and also brought about many changes. (1)

Seeing this person has a violent temperament and doesn’t empathize or take care of his slave, Hua Gu

signed.

This young man might come from a good background, but he’s not a good match for Mulan.

Seeing Li family’s eighth son in a daze, he replied while holding back his laugh, “My young general, it’s just a few missing stakes, it’s not like they’re something precious…”

Hua Gu turned his head and said, “MuTuo, go get some similar-sized chopped wood from the backyard.”

Li family’s eighth son recognized that this is Hua Mulan’s father, so he let go of his wooden stake with embarrassment, and put his hands down respectfully with awkward silence.

“Sir, how can I trouble you....”

“There’s no need to feel apologetic or in debt. I entered the military at the age of fifteen and had to retire at thirty-four because of my bad leg. It’s been more than a decade since I had touched a military-issued tent. Today, a chance came as I can reminisce my old days of service, so I’m very happy.”

As he continued talking, he speedily opened up the layers of oiled-treated fabrics, planted the stakes into the ground, and soon erected a tent that was about half his height and can fit in one person. 　　

After Hua Gu finished the tent, many of the Cavaliers were still ordering work for the slaves, and only DuGu Nuo, who was with Mulan, had finished assembling his own tent.

He took up his cane, stood, looked around at the chaotic mess in front of him, and signed.

Mulan said these were not the people under her command during her military days, and now he could believe it.

Those who went to battle with Mulan and survived were all veterans who had more than a decade of experience under their belts, and they would certainly not be like this.

The old officer from the Hua family braced himself on the cane, shook his head, hunched his back, and walked away with worry.

Desolation shadowed Hua Gu’s back as he departed. Watching him, Li family’s eighth son thought he saw a mirage of himself when he first returned from service.

Li family’s eight son looked at Mulan, looked at DuGu Nuo, looked at the tent before him, and at his fellow soldiers who were yelling out commands of where to set up the tents. For unknown reasons, his face flushed red, and he pushed down the newly-built tent. Just like what Hua Mulan's’ father did before, he knelt down on the ground and started to erect his tent.

It’s not that he didn’t know how to assemble a tent. He hadn’t realized when it started that he stopped doing it himself. 　　

On the other side.

“Put mine here, here.” DuGu Nuo was directing the slave labourers to move the tents down from the wagons and started to build the tents.

This is the simple tent from the military, made with oil-soaked fabric, coated with Tung oil (2) to shield water and wind, and supported by wooden sticks.

Mulan didn’t know who suggested that they camp out at her house, but it’s going overboard.

“How am I supposed to get out if you put these things here and block the entrance of my house!”

“Oh, General Hua, are you going out in the middle of the night to enjoy and admire the moon?” (3)

Dugu Nuo laughed brightly. “If General Hua has no intention of going to sleep, it would be a pleasure for this general here to accompany you to enjoy the moon. All you have to do is knock on my tent…”

DuGu Nuo, you’re being sly!”

“Yes, Yes, of course! We’re also going to sleep in General Hua’s courtyard!”

“Knock on your tent? I think you’d rather go sleep inside General Hua’s room!”

The conversations between the soldiers made He Mulan scrunch up her face.

“So you want to sleep in my courtyard, huh?” 　　

She reached out and grabbed the wooden stake that DuGu Nuo was just about to plant into the ground and squeezed lightly.

There was a dull pang, and the wooden stake shattered.

Everyone who was just horsing around a moment ago got taken by surprise.

She actually destroyed the wooden stake!

Mulan opened her hand and let the wind carried away the wooden debris.

The ends of the wooden stake that didn’t get squeezed had already fallen to the ground with two thudding sounds, and they rolled pitter-patter towards Dugu Nuo.

“General Hua, you…”

Mulan casually picked up another wooden stake that Dugu Nuo had already planted into the ground for the tent. Before anyone could react, she grabbed hold of the wooden stake with both hands and easily broke them into two pieces, four pieces, into the size of wooden sticks used for the wood-burning stove, then she tossed the sticks on the ground.

The fourteen horsemen finally had something other than shock on their faces.

Mulan thought, humph, aren’t they so scared that they’re going to pee in their pants?!

Hua Mulan is this is strong of a woman!

If they want to sleep in her yard, they better have the boldness for it.

Be afraid, be very afraid!

Mulan swept her gaze over the horsemen and with a blank face, she said coldly, “If you don’t want your necks to also…”

“General Hua, you must accept my heart…” one of the Xianbei horsemen knelt down and pounded a fist over his chest.

“I have around sixteen thousand acres (4) of farmland, from Han, and my family Fanyan is one of the wealthiest families in the area. I’m the only child in my family and I do not have any concubines. General Hua, you must keep me under your consideration!”

Huh?

What?

The cold face that she kept blank had a blank expression cracked.

Aren’t they supposed to be afraid of me?

What’s with these passionate expression everyone’s faces?!

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Author’s corner: 

Not far away, a group of thieves was watching the Hua house.

Thief no. 2, “Boss, what do we do? There are too many people.”

Thief no. 3, “It’s good that there are so many people. Did you hear that they brought a lot of stuff with them? When they leave… huh?”

Mulan squeezed and destroyed the wooden stake.

Mulan split the wooden stake with her bare hands.

Boss backed away. “...Let’s just go.”

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(1) Khan: Like Genghis Khan 

(2)Tung oil: or here
Oil from tree aleurites fordii and/or A .montana. Also called China wood oil or nut oil. Modern-day uses as an ingredient in paint and varnishes. 

(3) Sometimes Chinese families would take a walk outside after dinner to digest their food and enjoy moon viewing at the same time. Moon viewing can also be done sitting, and is a pastime activity to relax and spend time with family and friend, perhaps drinking tea and eating snack and engage in poetry and music. A holiday dedicated to the moon is the Mid-Autumn festival AKA Moon festival, and while there are tons of articles about the event, not that many people know the origins of the celebration. Please see article below.  here

(4) 1 Qing = 6.7 hectares. 1 hectare = 2.47 acres. Googled the conversion and 6700 hectares = 16,556.06 acres = 67mil square meters

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Fleur's Corner: 

Pierrot asks me to give you guys a cookie for every chapter that you've read! Hands up! Who wants cookies?

Next week there will be no chapter uploads. I'm still in the midst of translating c12, and it'd be highly unlikely that I'd be done by next week. 

Chapter uploads will be more frequent after July. 

And please read the chapter from here instead of another place. More than likely, I'd be making edits so it's more reliable to read here. 

Thanks for reading!

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